November 1st 1966 (Pt Pleasant WV)
⦁ Human-like figure Perched in tree – November 1st 1966 (WV)
Witness(es): National Guardsman
Date: Tuesday, November 1st 1966
Location: Armory near Camp Conley Road, Point Pleasant WV
AKA: “Mothman” (retroactively)
Investigator(s): John Keel
Story: On November 1st 1966, a national guardsman at the armory near Camp Conley road in Pt Pleasant WV claimed to have seen a large brown humanoid figure perched on the limb of a tree.
Description: Humanoid figure, perched in tree, brown in coloration.
(Collected by author John Keel of Mothman Prophecies fame, reported and published only after the Scarberry/Mallette "Mothman" story. Considered retroactively "Mothman")
Source(s): Strange Creatures From Time And Space (1970) by John Keel Pg232-Ch18, http://www.appalachianoddity.org/database-1966-1967/
Kenneth Duncan (WV):
(Photo taken by Ruth Smith on Nov 3rd 2012)
On November 12th 1966, Kenneth Duncan of Blue Creek and four other men were digging a grave for his father-in-law, Homer Smith, in a cemetery near Clendenin, West Virginia. He claimed to see a man-like figure that flew out from some nearby trees and glided low over their heads.
The men helping him were Robert (Bob) Lovejoy of Allen, Michigan, formerly of Campbells Creek WV, William (Bill) Poole of Allen, Michigan, Andrew Godby of Blue Creek WV and Emil Gibson of Quincy WV.
These other men did not see the creature before it flew away but Kenneth said that the brown creature lifted off beyond the trees and it was no bird; it was a humanoid. "It was gliding through the trees and was in sight for about a minute" said Kenneth. He was baffled. It didn't look like any kind of bird but seemed to be a man with wings.
The men only discussed the sighting with a few friends and it would have been forgotten if others didn't also start claiming to see a winged man. It was the November 15th 1966 Scarberry and Mallette "Mothman" sighting that caused Kenneth Duncan to report his encounter. Some retroactively consider this sighting to be "Mothman," a misnomer coined by the newspapers for the Scarberry and Mallette story.
Source(s): http://www.wvcommerce.org/news/story/First-sighting-of-the-Mothman/1215/default.aspx "'Flying Man' Seen Here, Man Claims" Newspaper Article (November 18th 1966) "Eight People Say They Saw 'Creature'" Newspaper Article (November 18th 1966) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mothman https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100081454/homer-smith (1914-1966) Strange Creatures From Time And Space (1970) (Page 213, Chapter 18) Mothman and other curious encounters by Loren Coleman (2002) (Page 43) Mysterious Monsters Fact or Fiction? by Tomson Gale